Being an American means something different to everyone. We hear from listeners across the U.S. on what patriotism means to them. And, ALS hasn't stopped John Driskell Hopkins from making or performing music. Hopkins — a founding member of the Zac Brown Band — explains why singing is like breathing. Then, this year's Poetry Out Loud winner, Isavel Mendoza, a high school senior from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, shares what he loves about performing and his dreams for the future.

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House Republicans approved President Trump's tax and spending bill. It now heads to Trump's desk. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican representing Colorado's 8th District, joins us to explain why he supports it. Then, KFF's Larry Levitt talks about how the bill will result in the biggest rollback in federal support for health coverage ever. And, the Trump administration is withholding $7 billion in funding for schools that was approved by Congress and set to be distributed this week. The Washington Post's Justine McDaniel tells us more.

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Congress is racing to pass President Trump's big domestic policy bill by July 4. Yale Budget Lab Martha Gimbel explains the potential long-term impacts of the tax cuts and spending provisions. And, the bill includes roughly $150 billion for immigration enforcement, a third of it for new detention centers. The Intercept's Matt Sledge joins us to talk about what this means for Trump's deportation policies. Then, child care costs continue to climb for families with young children. There is bipartisan support for making child care more affordable, but it's still too expensive. The 19th's Chabeli Carrazana explains why this is and what possible solutions exist.

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Dr. Adil Husain, an American emergency medicine physician, talks about what sorts of injuries he treated while volunteering in Gaza. He described the scenes he witnessed as "apocalyptic." Then, the U.S. is in the middle of hurricane season, but key data used to track the intensity of these storms may soon go offline. We hear from climate scientist Daniel Swain. And, as the Supreme Court finishes up its term, we look at the expected lasting implications of the court's decision to limit the power of lower courts, with law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center Stephen Vladeck.

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Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News explains where things stand as Senate Republicans race to pass President Trump's tax and spending bill by July 4. And, the Supreme Court's ruling last week on birthright citizenship is causing confusion as Trump's ban is expected to take effect in some parts of the country in less than 30 days. Martha Jones, a historian of citizenship at Johns Hopkins University, explains more. Then, a no-buy period can help you get your finances in order. The Washington Post's Michelle Singletary explains how to reset your financial goals and your relationship to spending so that you can reach those goals.

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In 2016, the Mississippi River punched a hole in the Len Small levee, built to protect farmland along an S-shaped curve in the river known as Dogtooth Bend. That hole was never repaired. Here & Now's Chris Bentley reports on how some farmers in the area have had to give up their land. And, John Ruskey calls the Mississippi River "a creative force" that sculpts the landscape and rejuvenates the people who experience it up close. But climate change is making that force stronger and more destructive. Bentley took a canoe ride with Ruskey and reports on the future of the river. Then, Bentley and Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd reflect on their reporting along the Mississippi River and share thoughts on how the river has shaped the history and landscape of North America.

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In 2019, an unrelenting flood swamped more than half a million acres in the Mississippi Delta's Yazoo Backwater. It took more than six months to recede. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd reports on a pumping station project that could protect against destruction from future floods. And, after a yearslong journey, Anderson Jones is back at home. The sandbag levee protecting his house failed during the 2019 floods. O'Dowd reports on Jones' rebuilding process and his hopes for the new pump project. Then, Sierra Club Mississippi's Louie Miller says the pumps project would be an environmental injustice for poor communities in Vicksburg.

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Progressive state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani stunned the political world after he defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday's hotly contested Democratic primary for NYC mayor. Errol Louis, host of NY1's Inside City Hall, joins us to discuss what it means for New York and the rest of the country. And, when California Rep. Jimmy Gomez tried to visit an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, he was denied access after ICE began enforcing a new rule that blocks members of Congress from making unannounced visits to detention centers. Critics say the new policy is illegal. Gomez explains his efforts to see inside immigration operations. Then, New York is looking to expand nuclear energy after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans to build a nuclear power plant in upstate New York. The goal is to create clean and reliable power. Heatmap News' Robinson Meyer explains more.

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Ernest Moniz, former energy secretary under President Obama and lead negotiator on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, talks about what comes next now that a shaky ceasefire is underway between Iran and Israel. Then, new research highlights that indoor air quality can have a powerful impact on the health and development of babies and young children. Dr. Lindsey Burghardt tells us more. And, Kelly Ramsey spent two years as a hotshot firefighter in California beginning in 2020. In her new memoir, "Wildfire Days," she said she had to prepare mentally and physically to perform like her male counterparts.

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We get the view from inside Iran with former news editor Ali Safari, a resident of Tehran who unpacks how Iranians are responding to the conflict. And, Here & Now's security analyst Jim Walsh joins us to explain what the U.S.'s strikes and Iran's response mean for national security. Then, in the wake of escalating conflict in Iran, Republican senators squabble over the details of a massive policy bill to extend President Trump's deep tax cuts and slash spending to Medicaid. NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales joins us.

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